It's that time again - Nelson Street in Bristol is hosting the second See No Evil. Last year's event saw a grey, soul-less, dead thoroughfare between Bristol's shopping and entertainment quarters transformed into an outdoor gallery with lots of colourful and images. Sure, not everything was to everyone's taste (some even claimed none of it was to their taste) but there was no denying the artistry of many of the pieces and the difference it made to a journey down the street. This year will see more pieces painted, additional sites used and the event also forms part of Festival ...
Our house is confined to the top of a high rock and is surrounded by sea on every side but one. Here is the approach to the monastery through a gate cut out of the rock so narrow that a cart can hardly pass through. Day and night the waves break and roar and undermine the cliff. Thick sea frets roll in wrapping everything in gloom. Dim eyes, hoarse voices, sore throats are the consequences... Shipwrecks are frequent. It is a great pity to see the numbed crew, whom no power on earth can save, whose vessel, mast swaying and ...
Teddy-bears are all the rage these days. My own furry friend, Uncle Rufus (who is almost as old as me) was thrilled to be asked to pose for a photo for Liberal Youth's Bears for Belarus campaign. Actually, he wasn't my bear when I was a kid. I never had any cuddly toys when I was a ...
Over the last year which has included Caitlin Moran's rise and rise and her incredible book "How to Be a Woman", the incredible performance of our female athletes in the Olympics, and today the demise Sexy A-Levels and their cracking analysis of why they have to close, it is clear that feminism has become 'mainstream'. What's more, recent conversations I've been having with male friends and other men who actually care about women being visible in the media has made me realise that there are men that understand this whole feminism thing and they are actually around us. This, coupled ...
Thursday's G2 magazine featured an article about the imminent arrival of Costa coffee in Totnes in Devon. John Harris recounts the opposition to the move among local independent coffee retailers and local residents. Totnes has a distinctive culture: people fear that Costa will undermine it. This act of resistance to the aggressive expansion strategy of this particular corporation is being replicated across the country. Communities are fighting invasion by Costa and its ilk. But they are usually losing. Will Totnes be any different? The article clearly hit a nerve. At the moment it has been shared 1,554 times on Facebook, ...
Pussy Riot, the Russian feminist anti-Putin punk rock band, issued a new single on Friday as three of its members were sentenced to two years in jail for "hooliganism." The song, entitled Putin Lights the Fires, was released by The Guardian. You can listen to the new song, along with a video montage of the band on Mashable. A View from Ham Common worries about the front page of the agenda for the Liberal Democrat Conference. "The best thing Michael Gove could do is to return this sort of decision to local communities, sack his advisers and abolish the School ...
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A single-frame joke stretched out to fill two short books. The two that really made me laugh were the Fatal Attraction riff in the first book and the Doctor Who joke in the second.
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The saga about Julian Assange may be entertaining for the media and it is clear that the UK should not take the step of raiding a foreign embassy (even in the roundabout way of declaring it not to be an embassy first). However, the treatment of the Rohingya in Myanmar (Burma) should have a much higher media profile. I raised the latter issue with the Foreign Secretary some weeks ago, but I
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Hold the Front Page has details of a Johnston Press internal memorandum proposing to axe three editors in a restructure its titles in the Midlands. The titles affected by the move are the Northampton Chronicle and Echo, Northants Telegraph, Daventry Express, Harborough Mail, Leamington Courier and the Rugby Advertiser. We are told that the memo says: Following changes to the portfolio across Northamptonshire Newspapers, the company has carried out a strategic review of editorial management and production processes. As a result of this review, it is proposed to combine the editorial management responsibility of three newspaper centres. It is proposed ...
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is cutting an ever stranger figure, holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy. He easily could become isolated in such a situation, yet outside are a devoted set of fans who defend their hero and campaign on ... Continue reading →
Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of chairing the latest meeting of the West End Christmas Week Committee, or to be strictly accurate, what should now be called the West End Christmas Fortnight Committee because - for the first time in its 12 year history - we will have a whole fortnight of Christmas events in the West End, running from Saturday 17th November until Saturday 1st December! We had an extremely positive meeting with good progress being made with the arrangements. Activities will include :Launch event - Community Fayre on 17th November, with children's activities including face painting and ...
It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week Opinion: Can Corby smelt a new Coalition? (63 comments) by Toby Fenwick By 48% to 19%, Lib Dem members prefer post-2015 alliance with Labour to continuing pact with Tories (20 comments) by Stephen Tall Opinion: Liberal Democrats must stay true to our traditions post 2015 (46 comments) by David Thorpe There's zero chance of Clegg cutting any boundary deal with Tories over party funding (12 comments) by Stephen Tall Opinion: Understanding the housing policy buzz (78 comments) ...
Cllr. Allan Knox has been contacted by Lancashire County Council this afternoon (Friday 17th August) regarding the potential for yet more flooding. They report: The Met Office has forecast another spell of heavy rain to cross Lancashire this evening and overnight, bringing possibly up to 80mm (over 3") in some Pennine areas. At present there are no flood warnings or alerts, but the Environment Agency [EA] will be monitoring river levels constantly, are currently clearing their trash screens and have key operational staff at home on rest time in advance of what they expect to be a hard night. As ...
Just a short post to explain a gap in posts. I was in the centre of Europe, in landlocked Hungary, on a Naturetrek holiday. Going on these organised trips is a relatively new thing for me: I used to see them as too expensive and also I valued independence in choosing where to go and what to do; but getting all the cumbersome and difficult arrangements made for you is a big plus and from a nature point of view, it helps a lot if you're going to be in a country for just a week or so to have ...
Earlier this year, the Lib Dems campaigned with local residents to get a puffin crossing on Schools Hill, to replace the existing zebra crossing which had seen three recent accidents, one very serious. We won the campaign, and Sainsbury's agreed to fund the cost of the puffin crossing (£50,000) as part of their store upgrade. The design proposals have been worked up and come to Cheadle Area Committee for approval on 28th August, before coming to me as the executive member. Once that's agreed, the work can hopefully be done as quickly as possible to get the new crossing in ...
It's Area Committee time again. Cheadle Area Committee meets at Bolshaw Primary School, Cross Road, Heald Green at 6pm on Tuesday 28th August 2012. All welcome. Cheadle Area Committee agenda, 28th August 2012 On the agenda: Planning application DC49292 to extend the previous planning permission given for a "social, welfare and educational centre" at 40 Foxland Road, Gatley 20mph zone for Broadway area of Cheadle Double yellow lines at the junction of Broadway Avenue and Broadway, Cheadle A new parking scheme, including residents parking, for the adopted end of Depleach Road, Cheadle Consider objections to the proposal to reduce waiting ...
Last November I wrote a series of posts asking Where is Rehman Chishti? and ultimately had to withdraw from my salient point (here) as his record in Parliament showed how hard he was indeed working for the people of Gillingham & Rainham. I was happy to leave it at that. Even more so when I received a letter from his office dated 16th July. To explain; I signed the online petition regarding "Lords reform" *mutter mutter discontent...* and it sent a generic email to my local MP. I was expecting nothing from it or any communication just a fools hope ...
Having spent the past week trying to disprove the racial superiority myth, last night Channel 4 performed a volte-face with a programme that claimed mixed race people were healthier and more attractive. Article published: 3rd November 2009, Operation Black Vote ... Continue reading →
Yesterday I made my annual pilgrimage to Southport Flower Show, held in Victoria Park. I was lucky with the weather, my umbrella being used for all of 30 seconds and my jacket spent most of the time slung over my shoulder. The show was as brilliant as ever and very well attended. My congratulations go to David Jackson and the rest of the board of directors along with the numerous volunteers. As with the recent Olympics in London, this event would not happen without the tireless dedication of it's army of volunteers. Today(Friday) is going to be wet and humid. ...
Danny Alexander is right to recognise Liberal Democrats will not be forgiven for delivering George Osborne's attacks on the environment. Alexander's 'Generating Growth and Jobs in a Time of Austerity' conference motion is pretty bold and we hope it is an opening salvo in a serious re-adjustment in the Liberal Democrats' environment agenda in Government. Alexander's intervention is needed. Osborne has seized the environment as an issue and is using it to play to the Tory right in an attempt to save his political skin. This has involved much tilting at wind turbines and charming his friends and relatives by ...
I'm wondering if I've gone mad. There's this issue that I just can't think about without one question occurring to me. For me, it is blindingly obvious, absolutely basic and impossible to avoid if you want to talk about the issue. And the thing is, it doesn't appear to have occurred to anyone else. I've read plenty of media stories about the issue, and I've not found one that asks, answers or even obliquely mentions this blindingly obvious question. The problem gets worse than that, however. I've waded through lots of public comments on the topic too, and none of ...
Liverpool Mutual Homes is planning an "impact day" on the Beechwood estate on 29th August. The idea is to do some clean up work but also to provide activities for young people and to make sure residents get information about things going on locally. In particular there should be some information about the plans to build houses for sale (shared equity) on the bit of vacant land behind part of Beechwood Gardens. (It's actually a housing association called Plus Dane that is planning to do this so they will be there as well). If I get more concrete information (like ...
Fri 17th
12:31
Two girls charged with DUI, road rage, urinate in police car. Their license plate: YAY ME
I am not a police officer. I will never be a police officer. Sometimes we get annoyed at the police but most of the time we are thankful for them. However one thing we often fail to consider is some of the bad things – well not bad but maybe insanely mad things – that they have to face with. Today I saw a tweet pointing to a story with the headline above. It was enough for me to click and boy it is an absolute doozy. The story in the Montgomery County Police Recorder is about women who weren't ...
People in South Liverpool have been noticing odd smells - sort of like TCP - in parts of Speke and Garston. It's not all the time but when it's there it is noticeable. It's possible that a particular factory is responsible and the Council's Environmental Health department is investigating after a series of reports (including from me but also from other people who live nearby) They will be checking on the area in the next week or so but are particularly keen to be aware of when people are noticing the smell so that they can try to visit when ...
Next month, it will be 48 years since the last execution on British soil. Internationally, more countries than ever have been electing to also abandon the death penalty. Amnesty International's latest report on death sentences and executions shows that the number of countries retaining capital punishment has decreased by one third over the last decade. More countries than ever are also instituting moratoriums on the practice. However, Amnesty reports that 149 more people were known to be executed in 2011 than in 2010. In the Middle East in particular, 2011 saw a steep rise in the number of recorded executions. ...
Firstly, warm welcome back to our readers in Lib Dem News, you haven't missed a huge amount - there have only been eight by-elections since our last report. Here's a quick recap of August so-far, and a summary of Thursday's action. Of the five that took place on August 2nd we had one piece of good news, where Don Broadbent and the Wealden team held Polegate North against an Independent and a Tory, both of whom took 20% of the vote. Of the four that remained, we took a bit of a beating in Lincoln East where our vote dropped ...
Yet another UUP member has called homosexuality a disease, but unlike Lord Maginnis this one is an elected representative*, Magherafelt councillor Jackie Crawford. Two other DUP members also spoke in the chamber calling homosexuality an abomination. Cllr Crawford's comments came before, during and since a Council Meeting on Tuesday which discussed Sinn Féin's proposal supporting Same Sex Marriage. Speaking in today's Irish times he said: "I'm not against gays, it's a pity for them. "It's a pity they have that disease and they can't help it. It's the same as you being born with a disability. They can't help what ...
We all give off false impressions. The man who seems crass may be trying to protect a sensitive side. A person who appears to be overly ambitious may actually be very fearful. The strong are often weak, the commanding are sometimes morbidly uncertain, the happy are frequently morose. Human society is based on an amalgam ...
We are ecstatic that our motion "Twenty's Plenty: Saving Lives On The Road" will be debated at the Party Conference next month. We believe that the Liberal Democrats can best lead the country on road safety. Too many of us, including one author of this article, have experienced the dreaded phone call or police visit to say a friend or relative has been killed on a residential street. We do all we can to prevent this avoidable pain. Road deaths are a public health crisis. We suffer one of the highest proportions of pedestrian fatalities in Europe and it is ...
I'm having another poll - on who readers of this blog think will leave the cabinet. Not who you think SHOULD leave - who you actually think WILL leave? You can tick as many (or as few ) names as you like. The poll then records total votes for the person, and shows what % of people who have voted selected that individual for the chop. Have fun. It's already interesting how wide the field is - and it's only just gone live. If you're viewing the blog on a mobile - scroll down to the bottom, click on 'view ...
Responding to Sarah Birch's criticisms of the data-sharing proposed under new individual electoral registration reforms, Mark Pack argues that the answer lies in giving people control over their personal data. It is a curio about the relative roles of the US and Northern Ireland in Westminster political culture that debates about electoral registration often feature references to America, with its very different systems, and only rarely feature Northern Ireland, with its very similar system. The lessons from Northern Ireland are very pertinent and are two-fold: first, that getting the initial transition wrong can produce a large fall in the electorate ...
For those who haven't seen it, the agenda for conference has been published as a PDF and very comprehensive it is too. At least I think so. I'm still wrestling with the cover. Now, I am all for singularity of thought. One of the first lessons you learn in comms is 'say one thing, simply and clearly and it has more chance of sticking than any one of half a dozen things said at the same time'. We say one thing. This is good. But are we saying the right thing? Our message is : 'Fairer Tax in Tough Times'. ...
Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 500 party members have responded, and we're publishing the full results. Miliband, at -20%, gets best rating yet among Lib Dems LDV asked: Do you think Ed Miliband is doing well or badly as leader of the Labour party? (Comparison with June results in brackets) 2% (+1%) – Very well 36% (+11%) – Well Total well = 38% (+12%) 46% (-5%) – Badly 12% (-6%) – Very badly Total badly = ...
I took part in a panel discussion on Voice of Russia radio yesterday on the subject 'Will the UK political marriage survive?'. Here's how it was billed, and you can listen to the half-hour programme below... With strained ties between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservative Party, will the British coalition survive until the next election in 2015? VOR's Brendan Cole discusses this with Stephen Tall, co-Editor of the Liberal Democrat Voice; Sebastian Payne, online editor of The Spectator; Patrick Hayes Editor of the website Spiked; and on the phone, Andrew Gimson, a political journalist and author of the book ...
I've welcomed the resurfacing of the whole stretch of road entrance to Balgay Hill and Balgay Cemetery at its Glamis Road entrance. I have made various complaints about this poor road surface into Balgay Hill and Balgay Cemetery in the past on behalf of constituents so I am very pleased to see the whole stretch now being resurfaced. It's not only one of the routes to the cemetery and park - its also the main route to Mills Observatory, so the improvements to the entrance will be welcomed. There are still some repairs required to the road as its leads ...
So, Julian Assange has been granted diplomatic immunity by Ecuador and Britain stands accused of threatening to storm the Ecuadorian embassy in order to forcibly remove him and extradite him to Sweden. Assange is a divisive figure - and not just between the establishment and the extreme left. He is divisive even amongst those who would consider themselves liberal. The added complication of rape allegations - which he denies and are seen as a proxy for American moves to seek his extra This divisiveness has led to two of the Liberal Democrat bloggers I follow most closely publicly disagreeing: somewhat ...
The breaking news this evening is that the Department for Education has failed to reveal the full extent of the school playing fields sold off under the coalition. Well that's what the Telegraph reports anyway. In a rebuttal widely re-posted on the web including by the esteemed Mark Pack DfE figures were quoted showing that just 21 playing fields had been approved for sale by Michael Gove. Now it appears that 30 have been approved of which four involved Gove going against the advice of the gloriously named QUANGO the School Playing Fields Advisory Panel. It seems to me that ...
